36 Facts About WFAN

WFAN's studios are located in the Hudson Square neighborhood of lower Manhattan and its transmitter is located on High Island in the Bronx.

Originally at, WFAN was launched on July 1,1987, as the world's first radio station to adopt the sports radio format around-the-clock.

WFAN decided to keep the Red Network, and it was rebranded as the NBC Radio Network after the Blue Network was divested, along with several stations, to Edward J Noble.

WFAN shifted the format from adult top 40 or hot AC to a more aggressively current-based top 40 format, with occasional nods to FM radio.

WFAN's show was music intensive, playing about 12 oldies an hour.

Related searches

WFAN's show had newer WNBC jingles, no echo sound effects, and slightly softer songs.

WFAN inherited broadcast rights to the defending World Series champion New York Mets from WHN, who had held the rights since 1983; Mets games stayed on WFAN until 2013.

WFAN's original morning show on 1050 was hosted by Greg Gumbel; his was a straightforward sports show, but it was not doing well in the ratings.

WFAN instantly took advantage of its Imus inheritance; for example, it featured a special live monologue by Imus character "Billy Sol Hargus" from Shea Stadium moments after taking over the 660 frequency.

WFAN discontinued the thrice-hourly updates on January 2,2018; updates now occur only at the top of the hour.

Each spring from 1990 until 2007, WFAN conducted the "WFAN Radiothon" to benefit children's charities that seek to ensure the continuity of life in its earliest stages and the treatment and eventual elimination of childhood cancer.

WFAN has done other radiothons and special broadcasts to raise money for assorted charities.

The combined success of Mike and the Mad Dog and Imus in the Morning helped WFAN become the number-one billing station in America during the 1990s.

WFAN then announced that New York Daily News columnist Mike Lupica and WNBC-TV sports anchor Len Berman would co-host the new midday program.

WFAN cited that he would have to work a near 14-hour day, combining his 10 am start on radio with his WNBC-TV duties, which consisted of him appearing on all three of the station's evening newscasts.

However a large outcry from listeners over the termination of the popular Somers—one of those unhappy listeners being comedian Jerry Seinfeld, a native of Long Island—led to WFAN management giving Somers the evening shift, which he continued to hold until his retirement in 2021, when he was replaced by Keith McPherson.

McDonald, one of the original WFAN personalities, was the weekend overnight host before leaving for sister station WIP in Philadelphia, nearer to his southern New Jersey home.

WFAN would be replaced by Sid Rosenberg who, despite his shock jock reputation, had a vast knowledge of sports.

WFAN later joined WEPN, Sirius Satellite Radio, and WPEN radio in Philadelphia before returning in 2012.

WFAN was the sole flagship of the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship carried over Westwood One, but beginning in 2006, competitor WEPN took over a majority of the coverage.

WFAN aired some of the conference tournament games, but would not usually air the early round tournament contests, opting instead for local programming.

WFAN offered its hosts and listeners a sounding board for their own feelings and comments, which were both for and against his dismissal.

Imus' last WFAN program was aired on the opening day of the radiothon.

WFAN afternoon drive co–hosts Mike Francesa and Chris Russo expressed disappointment with Imus's comments, but vehemently disagreed - on air - with the decision to fire Imus.

On September 4,2007, Esiason took over as the permanent host of the WFAN morning show, with veteran radio personality Craig Carton serving as co-host, and Chris Carlin remaining to do sports updates.

Related searches

The television simulcast, which had been on MSNBC since 1996, was not immediately brought back; it was not until September 2010 that WFAN reached an agreement with MSG Network to simulcast Boomer and Carton live each weekday; each four-hour show was simulcast live with a condensed one-hour "best-of" program airing later each day and throughout the weekend.

Russo said there was nothing WFAN could have done to keep him after Sirius XM provided him an opportunity to not only do a show, but have his own channel, which he could not pass up.

On October 10,2009, WFAN moved from its first studio location, the landmarked Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens, after 22 years in that location.

In 2012, WFAN drew controversy for a New York City Subway ad that discouraged fans from offering their seats for pregnant women wearing Boston Red Sox gear.

WFAN is the flagship outlet for Westwood One's NFL broadcasts and some of its National Collegiate Athletic Association college football and basketball broadcasts.

In years prior to 2019 WFAN utilized corporate sisters WCBS, WCBS-FM, WNEW-FM and WNYL, and non-sister stations including WNYM, WBBR and WLIB, as outlets for overflow broadcasts when teams are scheduled opposite each other.

WFAN once produced some of Fox Sports Radio's programming, notably Chris "Mad Dog" Russo's Saturday show, but the relationship did not last even one year for the same reason that Mike'd Up is syndicated nationally only through the YES Network—the hosts often talk about the NFL on a national basis, but stick mostly to local coverage of baseball.

WFAN called to talk sports on the overnight show with hosts like Steve Somers.

Such was her status as a beloved member of the WFAN talk community that, when she died at 58 of complications from lung and breast cancer, it was host Joe Benigno who broke the news to his late-night audience at 1 am, Doris' usual call-in time.

WFAN is extremely passionate about his sports teams and regularly calls WFAN on the weekends to talk about how his teams performance was that particular night or week.

WFAN's simulcasts make it one of only a handful of terrestrial based radio superstations in the United States; KPIG-FM in Freedom, California, and WBBR in New York syndicate terrestrially, though through different providers.